In accordance with one embodiment, the present invention provides the ability to embed and edit rich content into a browser document. Embedded objects are not backed by installed desktop applications. Instead, in one embodiment, the embedded objects are Asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX) components that adhere to a set of design patterns, which are embedded within editable HTML documents. For example, a user composing an email message can embed a spreadsheet into the email in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The spreadsheet is implemented, in one embodiment, as an AJAX component adhering to the Ajax Linking and Embedding (ALE) design pattern. Since it is an ALE component, the embedded object is fetched across the network so that it may be instantiated and used regardless of the user's location. The user can edit, manipulate, and save the embedded object while remaining in the context of the container document.